Gruffudd Fychan II was Lord of

Glyndyfrdwy Glyndyfrdwy (), or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road (Great Britain), A5 road halfway between Corwen and Llangollen in the River Dee (Wales), Dee Valley (the river Dee ...

and Lord of

Cynllaith Cynllaith or Cynllaeth was a commote () of north east Wales in the cantref of (later Chirkland) which was once part of the Kingdom of Powys and later part of the smaller kingdom of Powys Fadog. Cynllaith, or at least the part of it called ''C ...

Owain c.1330–1369. As such, he had a claim to be hereditary Prince of

Powys Fadog Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or literally ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys. The princes of Powys Fadog would build their royal seat at Castell Dinas Brân, and their religious center at ...

, and was a member of the Royal

House of Mathrafal The Royal House of Mathrafal, also known as the House of Powys, began as a cadet branch of the Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle.

. His son,

Owain Glyndwr Owain () is a name of Welsh origin, variously written in Old Welsh as Ougein, Eugein, Euguen, Iguein, Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein, Yuein, and in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, and Ywein. Other variants of the name Owain include Ewein, Iguein, Owein, Ouein, Y ...

, started the

Welsh Revolt Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

and became

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

Ancestry

Gruffydd Fychan II was born to Lord Gruffydd ap Madog of Rhythallt, and Elizabeth Lestrange, daughter of baron John le Strange of

Knockin Castle Knockin Castle is situated in the village of Knockin on Shropshire between Oswestry and Shrewsbury (), England. This was a fortified residence on level ground founded by Guy le Strange between 1154 and 1160 and it remained the principal holding ...

, a direct descendant of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

.LeStrange records; a chronicle of the early LeStranges of Norfolk and the March of Wales A.D. 1100-1310
London, New York, 1916, p. 254Pedigrees of Anglesey and Carnarvonshire Families, with Their Collateral Branches in Denbighshire, Merionethshire, and Other Parts
John Edwards Griffith, Bridge Books, W. K. Morton & Sons, Loncolnshire, England, January 1914, p. 282 Gruffudd's aunt was Countess

Alice de Lacy Alice de Lacy, ''suo jure'' 4th Countess of Lincoln, ''suo jure'' 5th Countess of Salisbury (25 December 1281 – 2 October 1348) was an English peeress, descendant of both English and Welsh royalty. Life Born on Christmas Day 1281 at Den ...

, the widow of

Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster ( 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman of the first House of Lancaster of the royal Plantagenet Dynasty. He was Earl of Lancaster, Leicester, and Derby from 1296 to 1322, and Earl of Lincoln and Sa ...

, member of the royal

House of Lancaster The House of Lancaster was a cadet branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. The first house was created when King Henry III of England created the Earldom of Lancasterfrom which the house was namedfor his second son Edmund Crouchback in 1267 ...

, and one of the richest man of his time. Gruffudd's great-granduncles were crusader Hamo le Strange, who was protected by the Sultan of Egypt

Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...

; he also married the Queen of Cyprus,

Isabella Isabella may refer to: People and fictional characters * Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Isabella (surname), including a list of people Places United States * Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...

, of the

House of Ibelin The House of Ibelin was a noble family in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. They rose from relatively humble beginnings to become one of the most important families in the kingdom, holding various high offices and with exten ...

, while the other was

Roger le Strange, Baron Strange Roger le Strange, Baron Strange, also known as Roger Lestrange or Roger Strange (died 31 July 1311), Lord of Ellesmere, was an English knight, commander and royal advisor. Life Role in Wales The second son of John Lestrange and his wife Lucy, d ...

, who was a royal advisor to king

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

, and Constable of Castle Dinas Bran, Gruffudd's family ancestral seat. His great-grandaunt, Lady Hawise, married his third cousin, prince Gruffudd ap Gwenwynwyn, member of the

House of Mathrafal The Royal House of Mathrafal, also known as the House of Powys, began as a cadet branch of the Royal House of Dinefwr, taking their name from Mathrafal Castle.

and builder of

Powis Castle Powis Castle () is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys, Wales. The seat of the Herbert family, Herbert family, earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the former ...

. Gruffudd's grandfather or great-grandfather was the hereditary prince Madog Crypl of

, son of prince Gruffudd Fychan I.Pierce, T. J., (1959). fro
OWAIN GLYNDWR (c. 1354 - 1416), 'Prince of Wales'
Dictionary of Welsh Biography. Retrieved 4 Mar 2024 Both his father and grandfather were also the Barons of

and Cynllaith Owain in Powys Fadog, once held in its entirety by his ancestor, prince Gruffydd Maelor II.

Marriage

Gruffudd Fychan II was married to Elen (Eleanor), great-granddaughter of Eleanor Plantagenet, the daughter of King Edward Longshanks and Queen

Eleanor of Castile Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I. She was educated at the Castilian court and also ruled as Countess of Ponthieu in her own right () from 1279. After diplomatic efforts to s ...

, members of the Royal

House of Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet (Help:IPA/English, /plænˈtædʒənət/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the Medieval France, French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by mo ...

and

Ivrea Ivrea (; ; ; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. Situated on the road leading to the Aosta Valley (part of the medieval Via Francigena), it straddles the Dora Baltea and is ...

. Through her great-great-great-grandmother, Queen

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence ( 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a Provence, Provençal noblewoman who became List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III of England, Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served ...

, she was a descendant of

Frozza Orseolo Frozza Orseolo (1015 – 17 February 1071) was a Margravine of Austria by marriage to Adalbert, Margrave of Austria. She was also a member of the Venetian House of Orseolo. Life Frozza was born in Venice as a daughter of Doge Otto Orseolo and his ...

, member of the Venetian

House of Orseolo A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

, which included

Orso Ipato Orso Ipato (; died 737) was, by tradition, the third Doge of Venice (726–737) and the first historically known. During his eleven-year reign, he brought great change to the Venetian navy, aided in the recapture of Ravenna from Lombard invade ...

, the first Doge of Venice historically known. Elen's father, Thomas ap Llywelyn, Representative of the last sovereign Princes of South Wales, was Lord of

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

. Elen's sister, Marged ferch Tomos, became the wife of

Tudur ap Goronwy Tudur ap Goronwy (c. 1310 - c. 1367) was a Welsh landowner, soldier and administrator of the Tudors of Penmynydd family from the island of Anglesey. Origins Born about 1310, he was one of the two sons of Goronwy ap Tudur Hen and his wife ...

, of the

Tudors of Penmynydd The Tudors of Penmynydd () were a noble and aristocratic family, connected with the village of Penmynydd in Anglesey, North Wales, who were very influential in Welsh (and later English) politics. From this family arose Owen Tudor, Sir Owen Tudo ...

, and the grandmother of

Sir Owen Tudor Sir Owen Tudor (, – 2 February 1461) was a Welsh courtier and the second husband of Queen Catherine of Valois (1401–1437), widow of King Henry V of England. He was the grandfather of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty. Background ...

, who gave his name to the

House of Tudor The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of Kingdom of England, England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled ...

. Her father's cousins included Eleanor (died 1332), who married to

Rudolph, Duke of Lorraine Rudolph (1320 – 26 August 1346), called the Valiant (''le Vaillant''), was the Duke of Lorraine from 1328 to his death. He was the son and successor of Frederick IV, Duke of Lorraine and Elisabeth of Austria, the daughter of King Albert ...

, son of Elisabeth of Habsburg. Their son and grandson married with the

House of Este The House of Este ( , , ) is a European dynasty of North Italian origin whose members ruled parts of Italy and Germany for many centuries. The original House of Este's elder branch, which is known as the House of Welf, included dukes of Bavaria ...

and the

House of Visconti Visconti is a surname which may refer to: Italian noble families * Visconti of Milan, ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447 ** Visconti di Modrone, collateral branch of the Visconti of Milan * Visconti of Pisa and Sardinia, ruled Gallura in Sardinia fr ...

, through the powerful Lord of Milan,

Bernabò Visconti Bernabò or Barnabò Visconti (1323 – 19 December 1385) was an Italian soldier and statesman who was Lord of Milan. Along with his brothers Matteo and Galeazzo II, he inherited the lordship of Milan from his uncle Giovanni. Later in 1355, he ...

. Her grandmother, Eleanor of

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

, was a niece of Isabelle of Lorraine and Matthias of Lorraine, members of the

House of Habsburg-Lorraine The House of Habsburg-Lorraine () originated from the marriage in 1736 of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis III, Duke of Lorraine and Bar, and Maria Theresa of Habsburg monarchy, Austria, later successively List of Bohemian monarchs, Queen ...

. Through

Robert II, Duke of Burgundy __NOTOC__ Robert II (1248 – 21 March 1306) was Duke of Burgundy between 1272 and 1306 as well as titular king of Thessalonica. Robert was the third son of Hugh IV, Duke of Burgundy, and Yolande of Dreux. He married Agnes, youngest daughter ...

, and Princess Agnes of France, Eleanor's in-laws included the Royal families of

Edward, Count of Savoy Edward (1284–1329), surnamed the Liberal, was Count of Savoy from 1323 to 1329. He was the son of Amadeus V and his first wife Sybille of Bâgé. Edward was born in Baugé. He was married to Blanche, daughter of Duke Robert II of Burgundy ...

, of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

, King

Louis X Louis X may refer to: * Louis X of France (1289–1316), King of Navarre () and King of France () * Louis X, Duke of Bavaria (1495–1545; ) * Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse (1753–1830; ), also Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt as Louis X * Louis Farra ...

of the

House of Capet The House of Capet () ruled the Kingdom of France from 987 to 1328. It was the most senior line of the Capetian dynasty – itself a derivative dynasty from the Robertians and the Karlings. The direct line of the House of Capet came to an ...

, and King Philip VI of the

House of Valois The Capetian House of Valois ( , also , ) was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. They succeeded the House of Capet (or "Direct Capetians") to the List of French monarchs, French throne, and were the royal house of France from 1328 to 1589. ...

, among others.

Children

Gruffudd Fychan II and Elen (Eleanor) had issue: * Madog, died young * Owain ap Gruffudd, later known as ''Owain Glyndŵr'', proclaimed

and leader of the

in September 1400 which lasted to 1412 or 1416. He married

Margaret Hanmer Margaret Hanmer (c. 1370 – c. 1420), sometimes known by her Welsh name of Marred ferch Dafydd, was the wife of Owain Glyndŵr. Early life and marriage Nothing is known of Margaret's early life, not even the precise date of her marriage. She ...

, daughter of Sir

David Hanmer Sir David Hanmer, Serjeant-at-law, KS, SL (1332–1387) was a fourteenth century Welsh people, Anglo-Welsh Justice of the King's Bench from Hanmer, Wales, Hanmer, Wales,Arthur Herbert Dodd"HANMER family of Hanmer, Bettisfield, Fens and Halton, Fli ...

and had issue. Their daughter Catrin married Sir Edmund Mortimer, member of the Royal family of England. His great-uncle was prince

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), was an English royal prince, military leader and statesman. He was the fourth son (third surviving) of King Edward III of England, and the father of King Henry IV. Because ...

, son of King

Edward of Windsor Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. * Lowry, married Robert Puleston, and had issue. Their son Roger became Deputy Constable of

Denbigh Castle Denbigh Castle and town walls ( ; ) were built to control the lordship of Denbigh after the Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England in 1282. The lands were granted to Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who began to build a new walled town, col ...

Jasper Tudor Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (c. November 143121 December 1495) was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. ...

, Duke of Bedford, member of the

. Jasper Tudor was his first cousin. * Isabel ferch Gruffudd, married Adda ap Iorwerth Ddu, and had issue. * Gruffudd *

Tudur ap Gruffudd Tudur ap Gruffudd (1365–1405), also known as Tudor de Glendore or Tudor Glendower, was the Gwyddelwern#History, Lord of Gwyddelwern, a junior title of the princely house of Powys Fadog, and was the younger brother of Owain Glyndŵr. His father ...

, Lord of Gwyddelwern, was a leader and Commander in the

against

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

and his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...

, members of the

. His daughter became the heir of his brother Owain, Prince of Wales, and his grandson Baron

Ellis ap Griffith Ellis ap Griffith (c.1440 – 1489) or Elissau ap Gruffudd, was the Baron of Gwyddelwern in Denbighshire, Wales, and the Governor of Penllyn (cantref), Penllyn. His granduncle was Owen Glendower, Prince of Wales. Following his family defeat dur ...

, became the founder of the House of Yale (Yale family). The children of Gruffudd Fychan II and Elen were all first cousins of

Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond ( – 3 November 1456), also known as Edmund of Hadham, was the father of King Henry VII of England and a member of the Tudor family of Penmynydd. Born to Sir Owen Tudor and the dowager queen Catherine of V ...

, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, and the first Tudor monarch, King

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509), also known as Henry Tudor, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henr ...

.What is a Second Cousin
"see House of Tudor#Patrilineal_descent, First cousin once removed to First cousin thrice removed

Death

He was buried at the Church of St. Asaph & St Cyndeyrn in

Llanasa Llanasa is a village and community in Flintshire, north-east Wales. Llanasa is described as one of the ancient parishes of Flintshire. It originally comprised the townships of Gronant, Gwespyr, Kelston, Golden Grove, Picton, Trewaelod, Axtyn a ...

where the remains of his tomb can be seen today.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruffudd Fychan 02 1369 deaths Monarchs of Powys Year of birth unknown 14th-century monarchs in Europe 14th-century Welsh monarchs